


The Elven Prince and the Dragon Knight

by deaththerabbit



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 14:55:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14381028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaththerabbit/pseuds/deaththerabbit
Summary: Prince Kaoru is rescued by his knight in shining armor.





	The Elven Prince and the Dragon Knight

Having royal blood had a tendency to lead to kidnappings and assassination attempts. This was no different for Kaoru, despite the fact that his older siblings would have first grab at the throne when the time came for one of them to rule. This was just fine for Kaoru; he had no desire to lead and much preferred to woo the court ladies.

He did not, however, appreciate the kidnapping aspect that came with his royal lineage. Dealing with his older siblings having been kidnapped at least once apiece had been bad enough, but now that it was his turn, he realized that actually being kidnapped was much, much worse. Especially in the middle of travelling. When he only had one guard.

Kaoru had been snatched when his knight had been distracted by an ambush. He had been taken easily, having never expected the blow he had received to the head.

He had woken up several hours later, sprawled across the back of a horse, wrists tied painfully behind his back.

So far, Kaoru’s future was not looking good. It was likely that Kuro, his knight, had been killed in the ambush. Although Kuro was a dragon knight, the only sort of knight that the elven royal family employed because of the rigorous training they received starting from a young age and the fact that they were quite literally dragons in human form, it was unlikely that he would have been able to take on all of the assassins that had ambushed him.

A twinge of pain stabbed at his heart as he thought of the possibility of Kuro being dead. Over the last several months, they had grown closer as they had travelled. Kaoru would never admit it, but he had noticed that he had started to fall for Kuro in a way that was different from the way he fell for each pretty lady he saw.

It was a matter he had no choice in, his heart drawn hopelessly to Kuro. He had fallen more and more for Kuro every time the knight had put his hand on his lower back to steady him when he slipped, every time the knight slipped off his coat to put over his shoulders when it began to rain, every touch to let him know that he would be safe in the knight’s presence, every time Kuro’s expression softened when he looked at him. He had tried so hard to deny what he was feeling, but it was beginning to boil over.

Kaoru stared down at the saddle, whittling away at the ropes binding him with his nails. He was more scared than he had been in a long time, realizing that it was unlikely that Kuro would be able to help him out of this situation. He was well on his way towards his death, knowing that as soon as his kidnappers got the ransom they were seeking from his family, they would kill him; they had said as much.

It took only a few hours for Kaoru to whittle down the rope enough for him to snap it and free his hands, and the moment he did, he snatched up the horse’s reins and yanked them to the side to guide the horse away from the rest of the group and pick up speed.

The horse let out a whinny and galloped off for the nearby woods, Kaoru hanging on tightly to keep from falling off. Angry shouts came from behind as his kidnappers pursued him upon horses that were actually meant for speed, unlike the one he rode now.

Kaoru was caught in a clearing when his horse leapt over a fallen log, sending him crashing to the ground painfully. He struggled to get up, but was not fast enough to escape his kidnappers, who had dismounted to grab him.

He fought hard, reaching for the dagger Kuro had given him to defend himself, but it was not enough. He crashed back down to the ground again after a particularly vicious kick to his ankle.

“Teach him a lesson, so he won’t try that again!” One of the men snarled gleefully.

Kaoru put his hands up to guard against the blows that began to rain down on him, only to be yanked to his feet and shoved against one of the trees so that he could not escape. Pain lanced through him after every blow, and though he struggled to free himself, he could not escape.

Was this the end for him? Was he really going to die in the middle of these unfamiliar woods, with no one to find out what had become of him?

It was not how he wanted to go. Kaoru redoubled his efforts, lifting his knee painfully into his attacker’s groin and rendering him temporarily out of commission.

Kaoru immediately made a break for it, sprinting as fast as he could through the trees despite the throbbing of his ankle.

He was caught again when he tripped over a root, and though he tried to roll out of reach, one of his kidnappers stomped his foot down on his ankle to keep him from fleeing.

A cry of pain escaped Kaoru as he felt the bone snap, and searing pain spread like fire. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping, and tried not to show his fear when his attacker lifted him up by the collar of his shirt.

Kaoru couldn’t help but wish for Kuro to rescue him, to save him from the terrible fate he knew awaited. “Kuro…” His voice came out as nothing more than a pain riddled whisper at first, and he tried to raise his voice. “Kuro! KURO!”

His kidnapper shoved him against a tree painfully, knocking the breath out of him for a moment. A blow to his face whipped his head to one side, sending pain down his spine.

Kaoru did not know how long the beating went on, and was distracted only when he heard the beating of mighty wings above them. He opened his eyes for just a moment, catching a flash of red and black, and then a flash of light.

He heard the strangled cry of his kidnapper, and collapsed to the ground when he was released. He heard the sickening sound of steel entering flesh and the agonized howl that came with it, unable to move to escape or even just open his eyes.

Then he heard someone drop to his side and felt their hand on his shoulder. He flinched away instinctively, afraid that it might be one of his attackers.

“It’s just me, your highness.” The familiar deep voice of his knight met his ears, but he did not open his eyes just yet. “Your highness?” There was fear in Kuro’s voice now; something that Kaoru had never heard in his voice before. “Kaoru?”

Kaoru opened his eyes when Kuro spoke his name, finding himself being lifted gently into his lap. Completely exhausted and in far too much pain to handle, Kaoru rested his head against Kuro’s chest, knowing exactly how it would look, but unable to bring himself to care at all.

He looked up into Kuro’s yellow-green eyes, relieved that he seemed to be okay other than a few bruises. “You heard me.” He forced himself to speak, finding it difficult.

Kuro pulled him to his chest, much to Kaoru’s surprise. He rested his head against Kaoru’s, and it took a moment for Kaoru to realize that Kuro was trembling. It wasn’t particularly cold, and he didn’t realize why Kuro was shaking until he felt his damp tears against his face.

Kaoru took a moment to compose himself before he spoke. “Don’t make this weird. If someone’s gonna cry over me, I’d rather it be one of the court ladies.” It was mostly a joke. While Kuro was not, technically speaking, Kaoru’s type, he much preferred his company because he, unlike the court ladies, cared nothing about his status or wealth.

Kuro chuckled softly, his breath warm on his face. “I’m glad that you’re well enough to joke…”

“I’m in a lot of pain right now, and it’s how I’m coping.” He closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep breath.

Kaoru felt Kuro’s lips against his cheek, and his face burned bright at the lingering contact. He opened his eyes again just in time to catch Kuro pulling away from him. The expression with which Kuro gazed at him with was softer than he had ever seen.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Kaoru mumbled, averting his eyes as Kuro checked to make sure that he had not received any fatal wounds.

Once Kuro had finished checking him over, he pulled Kaoru tighter against his chest. “I’m sorry I took so long to get to you.” He whispered. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Kaoru looked back up at Kuro sharply. He was blaming himself for this? Kuro had always done his best to protect him against all odds, and it certainly wasn’t his fault that he had been ambushed. What mattered to Kaoru was that Kuro had come for him, that he had been there when he needed him.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Kaoru reached up slowly, his movements hesitant and almost shy. His fingers brushed against Kuro’s cheek and slid up to rest gently in his slicked back red and black hair. “You came for me.”

In an uncharacteristic moment for Kaoru, he pulled Kuro’s face back down towards his own until their lips brushed.

“You came for me.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love rarepairs, and there was nothing in this ship tag, so I decided to add to it! Not sure how well I wrote these two, but it was fun to write anyway!


End file.
